Talk To Me
by Destiny919
Summary: My insanely optimistic plan for how the "Admit it - You like me" and the KISS scenes could play out between Mako and Korra, with a hearty dose of the angst I love - to torture you all with. Please Read and Review!


A/N: This is crap I wrote at 1AM a couple days ago. Wanted to post it before episode 5 airs and we Makorrians inevitably get our hearts ripped out and stepped on.

**Please, please, PLEASE Review!**

When Mako heard what had happened to Korra, he knew he would never forgive himself. While he'd been on his _date_ with Asami, Korra had tried to pull off a wildly dangerous and potentially lethal stunt, facing Amon alone. He'd known about what she was going to do, and he hadn't said a word, so caught up was he in his happiness over being able to enter the tournament, and his new . . . whatever it was with Asami.

Mako had spent almost all his life taking care of himself and his brother. Protecting those he cared about was an integral part of who he was. But he hadn't protected Korra, hadn't even tried to talk her out of it at least. Now, when he learned what had happened on Avatar Aang Memorial Island, when he learned that she hadn't missed practice because she was flaky, he knew he would never forgive himself. And he had a crazy need to ask for _her_ forgiveness.

So here he was, walking up the steps at Air Temple Island, just as the sun was going down, for the second time. He saw Korra sitting by herself on the edge of the spinning panels contraption, idly pushing one of them so it spun around. She was normally a whirlwind of activity, the expressions on her face shifting too quickly to see. But now she was still. And it scared him. How had he not noticed before? Because he was too busy paying attention to everything else instead of his teammate and his friend, the girl who'd helped save his little brother, risking everything to do so.

She looked up. "Hey, Mako," she called. When he drew closer, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh," he stuttered, suddenly nervous, "I came to, I came to apologize."

"For what?"

"For letting you do that!" he burst out. "Letting you go face Amon, after what we saw him do, what he almost do to Bolin, without even trying to talk you out of it! I should have tried to protect you "

"_Protect_ me?" Korra snorted derisively and it brought him up short. "Mako, you've made it very clear that you don't even _like_ me. How much would it have affected you if Amon _had_ gotten me, beyond needing to get a new Waterbender in time for the tournament? Oh, but that wouldn't be hard, any of the waterbenders on teams that lost out would jump at the chance." She shook her head, and continued, "You hadn't even talked to me outside of practice except for that one time at the party when you were with _Asami_." For some reason Korra spat her name with considerable vitriol. "Why would anyone, let alone me, expect you to talk me out of something when you don't talk to me at all?"

He finally recovered his voice. "You think it wouldn't've affected me." It was a statement, not a question. "At all."

"Aside from the pro-bending, no."

"Are you _stupid_?" he burst out. "Well, obviously you are." He could feel a rant beginning. "After all, you're the one who was so eager to join that ridiculous task force, went on to challenge Amon, probably the most dangerous, dumbest thing you could have done "

"_Eager_?" Korra furiously interrupted him. "I never wanted to join! I was I was _pressured_, I was practically coerced! I was surrounded by reporters, throwing questions at me like earth disks that I couldn't bend away no matter how hard I tried! All I said was that I wasn't afraid, and it was a lie, and it was an impulse! And then I _couldn't_ refuse to join Tarrlok, which I had already done about four times!"

Mako swallowed. "Oh." Great, now he had two things not to forgive himself for.

"Yeah. And you might _know that _if you ever said a word to me that didn't involve how badly I'm doing as a pro-bender or how awesome your new girlfriend and her rich daddy are."

"Korra," Mako began, and cleared his throat, "I'm sure you'll like Asami and her father once you get to "

"I don't _want _to like her!" Korra shouted.

"Why not?" Mako asked, taken aback and a bit insulted.

"Because _you _like her, and _I _like _you_." Korra spoke like she was biting off her words, and grit her teeth when she was done. A blush settled over her cheeks at her confession, but she stood up and faced him with her arms crossed.

"Oh," Mako said for a second time.

"Yeah. And just like with the task force, you might have realized that if you ever actually noticed me. I'm not the most subtle person, you know."

"I know." He chuckled. She scowled and reached out to smack him on the arm. "Hey!" he complained.

"Don't laugh at me. This is serious. I like you."

He composed himself again. "Korra, I just . . . I don't know what to say. I'm sort of seeing Asami now, and . . ."

"Of course you are." She eyed him speculatively. "Doesn't mean I have to care." Before Mako could respond, she lunged forward.

And kissed him, full on the mouth.

His eyes flew wide and he staggered a little, but _Spirits_, for a girl who'd grown up on an isolated compound, Korra knew how to kiss. Had she had some fling with a guard or something? Almost against his will, his arm wrapped around his waist, and hers around his neck in response. He was just started to move into it himself when she pulled away and smirked at him. "Admit it," she said smugly. "You like me."

Okay, a third thing never to forgive himself for: He _did_.


End file.
